This invention relates to the marking of fishing nets for identification purposes. More particularly, this invention relates to a method of manufacturing a marked fishing net and a method of manufacturing an identification cord incorporated into the net. In addition, this invention relates to a marked fishing net and marking cord produced by methods in accordance with the present invention.
Discarded fishing nets have become an international problem of increasing seriousness. Fishing nets or portions thereof lost at sea or cast adrift by their owners frequently ensnare dolphins and other mammals causing their eventual demise, as well as fish, which consequently destroys fish resources, and are frequently washed ashore along beaches from Japan and California to the Aleutian islands. International negotiations are currently being undertaken towards treaties directed at solving the problem of discarded or lost fishing gear. However, efforts to obviate the problems caused by fishing gear lost or discarded at sea seem to require some way of identifying the owner of gear found adrift. Clearly, it is necessary to apply a distinctive identifying mark to fishing nets as they are being manufactured or at some other point prior to the placement of the fishing nets into service. The marked fishing nets must then be registered to the respective owners. The identifying marks must be permanent and not readily removed by an owner who may wish to illegally discard his damaged gear. Furthermore, the identifying marks must be easily read by an inspector who wishes to verify that all gear aboard a boat is indeed registered to the owner. An additional requirement of the identifying marks is that they must remain associated with any major fragment of fishing gear which may be discovered at a later time. The cost of creating, applying and reading the identifying marks should be minimized, as well as the extent of change required in the existing fishing gear supply industry to incorporate the identifying marks.
An object of the present invention is to provide a method of manufacturing a fishing net provided with identifying marks.
Another, more particular, object of the present invention is to provide such a method wherein the identifying marks are permanent and not readily removable from the fishing net or any substantial portion thereof.
Another particular object of the present invention is to provide such a method wherein the identifying marks associated with a new net are readily determinable.
Yet another particular object of the present invention is to provide such a method which is inexpensive and easy to implement.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a fishing net provided with substantially permanent identifying marks throughout essentially its entire length.